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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wake · hand · spell · kid · toast · scale · press · hide

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wake — a trail
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spell — magic
  8. toast — bread
  9. press — to push
  10. scale — size or range
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hand — help
  16. kid — child
  17. scale — in music
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com